Also I agree (and this is also what i"ve learned in aikido) that kicks definitely can disrupt your balance and can compromise your center and come back at you, throwing you off balance if not done properly. I didn't mean in the dojo either by the way. I mean't in a real fight. I've already been attacked once by my former room mate. I didn't use kicks on him, since I didn't want to hurt him. I actually don't want to hurt anyone, (like you said about Budo) but I might use it in a life or death situation, as a last resort.